Developer plots revamp of Richard Gilbert Scott building on Ridgmount Street

Proposals for an extension and refurbishment of a commercial building on Ridgmount Street are being developed ahead of a planning application to be submitted to Camden Council possibly later this year.

Owners Sebre Ridgmount Ltd are working with architects Fiala+Nemec to create “new best-in-class office accommodation with active frontages at street level” and have published outline plans for how the extended building would look.

The rectangular site is bounded by Store Street, Ridgmount Street and Ridgmount Place, and abuts the eastern end of the University of Law.

It was originally constructed in 1965 to designs by Richard Gilbert Scott of the firm Sir Giles Scott, Son and Partner. The main section along Store Street housed the National Central Library and the Library Association occupied the eastern end of the site.

In 1991 what is now the University of Law moved into the larger Store Street part. The Institute for Fiscal Studies also occupies part of the Ridgmount Street wing.

Fiala+Nemec’s new design for 7 Ridgmount Street would see the top floor of the existing five-storey building demolished and two new storeys constructed with the addition of roof terraces to provide amenity space for office workers.

Part of the eastern elevation, which is set back from the street, will be infilled under the new design radically changing the footprint and presence of the building on Ridgmount Street.

A plan of the proposal shows a large space for retail on the corner of Store Street and Ridgmount Street.

The designs were first unveiled in September 2024 and public relations company Kanda Consulting notified some neighbours near the site at the time and asked for feedback on the proposals. However, neither the Bloomsbury Association nor the Charlotte Street Association were aware of the plans until this week.

Sebre Ridgmount Ltd is ultimately controlled by Sebre Holdings a company incorporated in the Czech Republic.

The streets around the site are a mix of commercial and residential buildings.

Consultation website for the Future of 7 Ridgmount Street.

Editor’s note. This article was corrected on 17 June. We originally stated that the architect for the project is DSDHA. The Fitzrovia News obtained that information from the project’s website which it turned out was incorrect, and has now been corrected. The lead architect on the project is Fiala+Nemec, not DSDHA. While DSDHA is involved in the project in an advisory role, they are not the architect on the project.

Please support The Fitzrovia News. Consider helping us cover our costs by visiting our secure payment page.